As early round admission decisions start to roll in, students across the country are receiving both good (accepted) and bad (denied) news. And along with these clear-cut outcomes, many students are receiving some ambiguous news: yes, you’ve been accepted, but no, we are not awarding you enough financial aid to actually allow you to attend. This type of result can actually be the worst of all for families, as it often puts parents in the heartbreaking position of having to say no to their child’s dream school. Is there, however, any other option?

If you don’t know the answer to that question, it may be time to speak to someone in your Human Resources office or dive into the benefits information provided on your employee intranet. Many employers offer tuition assistance programs as a way to help recruit and retain a qualified and well-educated workforce, but making the most of your tuition assistance dollars is not always as easy as it may first appear.

Higher education is always associated with costs. While tuition is something that is taken for granted for many of us, the extent to which it becomes a concern fluctuates from year to year. A study on student trends by educations.com found that tuition is one of the growing major concerns for prospective students wanting to study abroad. This trend is visible across the different continents.

If you’re creating your college list, you’re no doubt familiar with the three standard categories: safety schools, good fit schools, and stretch schools. While these categories are important, they often only take academics into account. And with the ongoing crisis of student loan debt for new graduates, there may be another focus for your college list that’s just as important as academics: affordability and value.

For high school seniors who are finalizing their college lists—or juniors who are just starting to get serious about their college search—one feature you may be looking for in a college is generosity. Specifically, how generous is a college with their need-based financial aid programs?

With the new school year under way, parents of high school seniors are now seeing college on the not-too-distant horizon and realizing they will soon be faced with large tuition bills. “Will I qualify for financial aid?” they wonder. While the need-based aid calculations are fairly complicated, and based on each family’s individual financial circumstances, there is some federal student aid which is not need-based, that every student meeting basic criteria qualifies for. What are those basic criteria? Former Becker College and Anna Maria College financial aid officer, Laurie Peltier, breaks it down in the latest installment of the College Coach video series, Ask the College Finance Expert.

When I was a college Financial Aid Director, I saw MANY students taking longer to complete their degree than they—or their family—had planned. This cost the students and the parents additional time… and money.

Recent college graduates must learn to navigate lots of new experiences—new freedoms, new responsibilities, and, yes, new bills. Graduates who borrowed student loans to help finance their undergraduate educations will soon be entering the world of student loan repayment—a domain that can be challenging to traverse, particularly on an entry-level salary. Borrowers wanting to get the lay of the repayment landscape should head on over to the Fortuna Admissions blog to learn about their loan repayment options from College Coach finance consultant, Shannon Vasconcelos.

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The Insider: College Admissions Advice from the Experts is where College Coach experts weigh in on the latest college admissions topics. We cover everything from application timelines and strategies to tips on financing your child's education.